Ra's Al Ghul did not interfere in Talia's matters again but that was partially due to the fact that his son Dusan had come to Nanda Parbat and as a result, he got busier than earlier.

Dusan Al Ghul was Talia's biological brother but the two apparently did not get along well with each other. He had been managing the League's secondary base in Cape Town along with Nyssa, who he seemed to favor more as compared to his sister.

But right then he had come to visit the League's primary base and Ra's was occupied enough to leave his daughter be for the time being.

Every person associated with the League of Assassins knew that Dusan should have been the rightful successor to the Demon Head as he was the eldest son and deserved the title. But Ra's hadn't chosen him his successor on the basis of a very futile reason.

Dusan was born an albino hence he had porcelain skin, light eyes and equally light hair. His appearance was strikingly different from the rest of them and that somehow led to him not being chosen as the successor.

Ra's thought that his existence alone was a threat and giving him the leadership of the League could result in a divide being created among the assassins. So he chose Talia as his successor.

Unlike Talia, Dusan did not want that title and responsibility either so he made no fuss when told that she would be the Demon's Head successor instead of him. Contrarily, Talia saw him as a rival at first but with time they resolved that misunderstanding.

Still, as he was usually at Cape Town, the two never got to interact much and it gave rise to the rumors that the siblings opposed each other.

Usually, whenever Dusan came to visit and it happened quite rarely, Ra's would have to make sure that his son did not become the cause of any further disturbance. Deep down, he had that realization that he hadn't treated his son well and the man could strike back at him.

So he was always making sure that no such situation arose.

Dusan had returned from a hunting trip in the forest and took his horse to the stable himself. He reined in his horse and unfastened the cowhide bag that contained the fresh hunt he had brought with him.

He often did his tasks by himself, making it clear to the others that they were not obligated to tend to him. He was an Al Ghul but probably the most down-to-earth of them all, perhaps due to the fact that he knew what it felt like to be treated as an inferior.

Unlike other members of his family, he was much more considerate towards the servants and the other members of the League. That nature of his had garnered him a lot of support which was an alarming situation for Ra's lest his son decided to stand up against him.

He had tied up his horse and was about to leave the stables when he caught sight of a familiar face.

"Veruna," he called out and the woman turned to face him, surprised to see him there.

"Master Dusan! When did you return?" A smile had broken out on her face as she left her task and stepped closer to him.

"This morning though I had headed straight to the forest," he replied, handing her the bag containing his hunt, "we don't get to hunt like this back in Cape Town."

"It's good to have you back," she remarked, her stature much more relaxed and friendly towards him.

Dusan had played the role of an elder brother to both Talia and Veruna. And as he was kind towards them even then as that aspect of his personality couldn't change, Veruna felt at ease around him.

"How's Talia doing?"

"My Lady has been doing well," she replied, that trace of respect returning in her tone as she was mentioning the successor to the Demon Head, "she would be delighted to see you."

"I doubt it," his light grey eyes flickered slightly, knowing full well that Talia would make it seem that she wasn't happy to see him there.

Even though the two of them had sorted out their differences, they kept up the facade of rival siblings as both of them took pleasure in teasing the other.

"My Lady has been troubled lately," her voice was low as she told him while they were walking back to the base, "she got into an argument with Master a few days ago. It did not end well though she didn't retaliate openly."

"Oh... And for what reason?"

She was staring down at the ground pointedly, "apparently I was the reason behind it. I didn't mean to, but..."

"It's alright, child," his hand gently patted her head, alarming her at first, "don't worry about it."

Veruna was thinking about how would he react if he found out about the rumors regarding her and Talia. True, Dusan had always been very understanding towards her but that was because he saw her as a little girl just like his sister Talia.

She wasn't sure whether things would remain the same if he discovered the turmoil that was going on due to those unpleasant rumors.

"What are you frowning about so intently?" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head, "nothing."

"Take the hunt to the mess and ask Dara to get it cooked," he told her, "while I will go and see just how delighted my sister will be to meet me."

Despite the worry that had just begun to settle in, a smile broke out on Veruna's face again. Dusan might be the only person who could make her smile that easily, no one else held that ability.

She didn't know about Talia but she sure was relieved to have Dusan around once again. In a tempest of chaos that Nanda Parbat had become, Dusan Al Ghul was a refreshing ray of light.

The worrying aspect was that he was the only ray of light they had got left. And by the way Ra's and Talia were going further with the League, there was a great risk of that sole light being extinguished as well.

***

Talia had gone down to the Lazarus Pit by herself, not alerting anyone because she wanted to be alone. Usually, when an Al Ghul member went down to the pit, soldiers came along to guard them while they would be in a moment of brief vulnerability when being rejuvenated by the healing waters.

But she had no intention of using the pit, she had only come there to clear her head and find some peace.

However, she wasn't the only one there for long and when she sensed another pair of footsteps approaching, her hand automatically went to the hilt of her dagger.

"Sister dearest, I would prefer a warm welcome rather than a dagger to my throat."

Dusan stepped out of the shadows and she let go of the dagger. "You might have come to visit after a long time but you are still disrupting my alone time. A dagger to your throat would be a fitting reaction to that."

"Ah, is that so? Apologies," his eyes flickered in amusement but he made no attempt to leave her there.

She had folded her arms, staring back at him coldly though a very slight smile was threatening to peek through that stony facade, "accepted. Don't sneak up on me like that again. I was one second away from throwing my dagger at you."

He shook his head, laughing silently at her words. But she stood rooted to the same spot, making no attempt to step closer to him.

"Come on, Talia, there's no one around. It wouldn't kill you to drop the menacing act for now," he remarked, an eyebrow raised expectantly as if waiting for her to give him the reaction he expected.

"What act? That's just how I am."

He laughed again, "won't you at least greet me properly? I'm your elder, after all, show some respect."

She could have easily ridiculed him on that remark but chose not to. It had been long since he had visited and Talia too had missed having his annoying self around.

So she finally stepped closer, holding her hand out towards him, "welcome home, brother."

He did not show it but he had noticed the lines on her palm due to the deep cuts that she had inflicted on herself not long ago. But not wanting her to find out that he had seen it, he took her hand and reeled her into a hug.

"Let go of me right this instant or my dagger will cut through you," she threatened.

"Try it."

"Don't provoke me, Dusan, you know I don't give meaningless threats," she warned but it seemed to have no effect on the cheerful man in front of her who seemed no less than the sun itself. Although ironically, he couldn't bear staying in the sunlight for long himself.

***